Page 38 of The Doctor and the Devil
Rafael would want privacy, but I was far too restless to sleep. I undressed down to my chemise and slowly began to unpin my long, brown locks, running a fine bone comb through them. I should try to return to the library to do some more research, but the thought of Rafael being under the same roof was almost too much to bear. As much as I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep, I thought focusing on work or research would be even more futile.
My reflection in the mirror stared back at me, looking pale and drawn. I frowned, rubbing at the wrinkle between my eyebrows. Perhaps Charlotte and Rafael were both right, and I needed some food and rest. I stood to pull on my dressing gown and head to the kitchens for something to eat when there was a firm knock on my door.
I might have pretended it was Charlotte or one of the maids, but inside, I knew who it was. There was only one person itcouldbe.
“Rafael,” I whispered, opening my door.
He stood clad in the same deep red bayan as before, cinched tightly at his waist. The thin triangle of pale skin below his throat showed he wasn’t wearing anything underneath. I swallowed—my mouth suddenly dry.
He looked somewhat restored, and I suspected he’d fed as well as bathed. His damp hair hung just above his shoulders, loose and wild, making him look every inch like the foreign prince he truly was.
“We were interrupted earlier,” he said. “My apologies.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say.
“I’m glad to find you here,” he said after a few moments. “Safe with your friends.”
“You found your way here too,” I said quietly. “Though I suspect you realize the circumstances are rather unfortunate.”
“Laszlo,” he acknowledged.
“I’m so sorry, Rafael.”
He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.
“I don’t want to talk about Laszlo, Mina.” His gaze was like fire, raking me from head to toe.
“What do you want to talk about?” I asked automatically, suddenly breathless. I took a step back, and he followed me into the room, tracking me like a predator. My heart pounded in excitement, and heat dropped low from my stomach, as if I’d swallowed a hot coal.
“Why aren’t you eating? Or sleeping?” he asked.
I paused. “I told you.”
“No,” he said, taking another step toward me. “You lied to me.”
“I have been busy,” I insisted.
One more step forward—he was a hair’s breadth away from me now.
“Do you know what I think, Mina?”
He raised a hand to my cheek but stopped just shy of touching me.
“I think you were distracted. Perhaps you were thinking of me as much as I was thinking of you.”
I closed my eyes, somehow both ready—and not—for the kiss that I prayed would come. Seconds ticked by on the mantle clock and the fire crackled in the hearth—the only sounds other than our breathing. When I opened my eyes, Rafael was looking down at me with a thousand unknowable thoughts flashing in his gaze. He stood there, frozen like a marble statue.
“Mina,” he whispered. “I promised you before. I will not touch you until you ask.”
I closed my eyes, knowing I would regret everything. Fearing even more that I would regret nothing.Damn us both.
“Rafael,” I begged, more breath than sound. “Kiss me.”
Instantly, his lips were on mine. His kiss was soft at first—restrained. Tentative. The gentleness of it brought tears to my eyes, and I felt them spill over as he sucked at my bottom lip, wordlessly seeking entry. I opened my mouth to plunder his, sweeping across his tongue in lush strokes, goading him intomore.More passion, more fire, more heat. More Rafael. I sighed in contentment at the familiar taste of him—the bite of some sweet spirit, the faint savory tang of blood, and the delectable warmth that was all Rafael.
My hands came up to tangle in his hair, and he growled appreciatively, guiding me back toward the bed. Without thinking, I slipped my hands down his face, his neck, and across his shoulders, pushing his dressing gown down and letting it slide to the floor. His lean muscles flexed beneath his pearl white skin, and light blue veins traced paths across his arms, shoulders, chest, and abdomen. He looked exactly as he had twenty years ago, when I was so in love with him I was prepared to throw everything away to be with him. That included my family, my future, and even my mortality—a secret I hadn’t shared with him back then.
“Mina,” he said, low and lush. “May I undress you?”
